Safety razor and razor blade



June 16, 1936, D. B. HADJOPOULOS 2,043,993

SAFETY RAZOR AND RAZOR BLADE Filed March 28, 1933 RAD WIHIIIIIHHIHII I'mh Hil ATTORNEY Patented June 16, 1936 UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE SAFETYRAZOR AND RAZOR BLADE Demosthenes B. Hadjopoulos, New York, N. Y.Application March as, 1933, Serial no. 663,114

3 Claims. (Cl. 30-48) This invention relates to devices such as razorsand razor blades.

One object of the invention is to provide a device of the characterdescribed, having implished by a substantial relative movement pro-'-duced between the strands of hair and the cut-' ting edge of the bladelongitudinally thereof. Diii'erently expressed, the movement of thecutting edge relative to a hair is compound, as it includes a movementlaterally of the hair as well as toward the hair. In the razorsheretofore known, the blades have been provided with a uniformlystraight edge, which has caused a pulling and tugging on the hair as thecutting edge entered the hair strands and before complete severancethereof. hair is not only irritating tothe skin and tends more rapidlyto dull the cutting edge.thereof, but also raises portions of the skinand hence causes the same to be cut or scratched. If it were attemptedto use a straight edged razor obliquely, there would be danger ofcutting the skin, and, moreover, the guard would interfere with theaccessibility of the hair to the cutting edge of the blade; however,even such oblique use of the straight edged razor can be practised onlyto a limited degree and at a small angle so that the essential benefitof the foregoing principle is not available.

It is therefore an object of my invention to produce an improved razorwhich shall obviate the defects above mentioned, and which shall utilizeto the fullest degree the principle of oblique or angular cutting ofhair as above set forth.

tion consists in the novel combinations and arrangements of partshereinafter described in their preferred embodiments, pointed out in thesubjoined claims, and illustrated on the annexed Such pulling on thedrawing, wherein like parts are .designated by the same referencecharacters throughout the several views.

In the drawing:

Figure 1 is a view in elevation of a device 5 embodying the invention.

Fig. 2 is a top plan view of the same.

Fig; 3 is a bottom plan view of the cap.

Fig. 4 is a plan view of the razor blade.

Fig. 5 is a top plan view of the guard. 10

Fig. 6 is a top plan view of a modification of the invention.

Fig. 7 is a fragmentary vertical sectional view taken on line '|'l ofFig. 6.

The'advantages of the invention as here out- 15 lined are'best realizedwhen all of its features and instrumentalities are combined in one andthe same structure, but, useful devices may be produced embodying lessthan the whole.

' It will be obvious to those skilled in the art 20 to which thisinvention appertains, that the same may be incorporated in severaldifferentconstructions. The accompanying drawing, there- I fore, issubmitted merely as showing the premay be arranged parallelly alongopposite lon- 35 gitudinal edges thereof, and the blade being suitablyelongated. Each of said series may have one or more teeth is, preferablya plurality thereof, and the various teeth being arranged in contiguousor side by side and relatively close 40 relation to each other, formingcorners such as M of any desired shape. In the preferred embodiment ofmy invention as herein shown, oppositely disposed teeth in the diflerentseries l2 are arranged in alinement with each other. 45

Each tooth l3 has opposite diagonal cutting edges I 5 which may extendcontinuouslyfrom the corners M to the point or ends it of the tooth thatmay be of any desired shape. Hence there are provided between thedifi'erent teeth i3, reentrant angular cutting regions ll each of whichis enclosed on two sides by the oblique cutting edges l5, all of whichlie in a common plane throughout the blade. The angle formed between theoblique cutting edges l5 may vary consider- 5 ably, and may in actualpractise range between 30 degrees and 90 degrees, although in principleany angle may be used regardless how large or small. All of the obliquecutting edges are of uniform length and other characteristics, and allof them form angles of uniform size with each other.

For holding the blade ii, any suitable means may be utilized, including,for example, a cap iii, a guard i9, and a handle 20. The cap may have apair of spaced studs 2!, and a screw member 22 intermediate thereof, thestuds and screw member being upstanding and lying in a common plane, andbeing permanently connected to the cap on the underside thereof. Theblade ii may have holes 23 and an intermediate hole 24 alined therewith,and adapted respectively to receive the studs 2| and the screw member22, so that the blade may rest against and along the cap l8 in uniformrelation therewith. Similarly, the guard member may have end holes 25and an intermediate hole 26 alined therewith for respectively receivingthe studs 2i and the screw member 22 so as to lie against the blade onan opposite side thereto relatively to the cap. The handle may have aninternally screw threaded opening 21 for releasably engaging thev screwmember 22 and thereby pressing the cap and guard snugly together forreliably holding the blade. The handle 20 may extend centrally and atright angles with respect to the cap and guard members, and-the lattermay be suitably transversely curved for correspondingly flexing andholding the blade I l.

The guard I! may have along its opposite edges a series of fingers 28which extend inward to 29 considerably beyond the points ii of the bladeand. have their outer ends 30 preferably rounded. The various fingersterminate in lines parallel to each other and to the points l6 of theblade so as to maintain a uniform guard spacing relation throughout.correspondingly positioned fingers on opposite sides of the guard are inalined relation with each other and with the teeth l3 of the blade Ii,so that the fingers underlie and extend beyond the points I of theteeth, wherebytoassuremaximumsafetyinthe useofthe razor.

The cap It may have a pair of series of proiections ll arranged to coactwith the teeth II of the blade and to form a supplemental guardtherefor. Various possible arrangements of these projections may beutilimd, bearing in mind that the primary purpose thereof is to beardown on the teeth I3, and finally to permit the oblique cutting edges toapproach closely to the skin for clean shaving action, and yet to spacesaid edges fromtheskinsoastoassure safetyintheuse of the razor. Hencethe edges 32 of the cap may diverge from the adjacent cutting edges I:of the blade, and the projections 3| may be thinner than the rest of thecap, as shown at 33 in Fig. 1, .to permit the cutting edges to approachthe skin as closely as may be necessary for clean shaving action.

In Figs. 6 and 7 is shown a modification of the invention including anelongated razor blade of thin rigid or flexible steel 34 having alongits opposite longitudinal edges series of teeth 35 that may be generallyof smaller size than the teeth aforementioned, and having their obliqueedges 36 sharpened to form cutting edges. Extending longitudinally ofthe blade and intermediate of the said series of teeth is a slot 3!closed ended at 38 adjacent to the opposite ends of the blade. The guardmember 39 may underlie the blade and may have lip means for protectingthe ends 40 of the teeth. For example, the guard may have teeth 4!individually alined with the diiferent teeth 35, and having individuallips 42 for the ends of the teeth extending to lie in the plane thereof.A cap 43 may have holding portions or extensions 44 for overlying andclamping down on the end portions of the blade at the ends of the slot31, and extending into proximity to the opposite edges of the blade. Anysuitable means may be provided for supporting or actuating theextensions 44, as by providing a bar 45 integrally interconnecting thesame. and extending along' and confined to the central l5 longitudinalregion of the blade remotely from the teeth 35 and the reentrant angles45 therebetween. The cap and guard may preferably have plane seats 41,48 respectively, for opposite longitudinal portions of the blade Il'ldlying in angular relation as shown, so that the teeth 35 lie in planes.The cap may have studs 49, and an intermediate screw 50 for extendingthrough the slot 31 and through corresponding alined holesin the guard,the screw being removably threaded into a hole 5| in the handle 52.Fingers 4| and 28 may be similar to each other.

The manner of using the invention will now be described. The razor maybe moved along the face or other body portion to be shaved, in anydesired direction, and the shaving action will always occur obliquely.In course of shaving the fingers 28 and 4| exert a stretching action onthe skin to facilitate smooth and uniform shaving. The oblique cuttingof the hair produces a movement toward and laterally of the hairstrands, causing a compound motion which facilitates severance of thehair. In theory, a simultaneous angular motion or twist of the hairstrands may occur, which causes a cutting at increased speed. In anycase, the cutting occurs more easily and smoothly without any pulling ortugging on the hair than has heretofore occurred and without irritating,cutting, or scratching the skin. If the reentrant angles between theteeth be inaccessible for cutting action, the same may serve asaccumulators for the lather and thereby facilitate the cutting by theoblique edges of the teeth, and hence those reentrant angles need not besharpened, if so desired. However, in the device shown in Figs. 6 and 7,the edges of the teeth are fully accessible for shaving, including thereentrant angular portions, and the blade may be of standard thinness orslightly thicker for increased rigidity of the teeth. Moreover, the bar45 may coact for 'suitably inclining the razor to the surface to beshaved. The portions 44 being at the ends of the razor will notinterfere with the disposition of the oblique cutting edges closelyalong the surface to be shaved. It will be noted that the teeth 35 ofthe razor blade form their own guard, and by making these teeth ofproper size and angularity, complete safety in shaving is assured. Theprojections on the cap and the fingers on the guard means may separatelyor together exert a stretching action on the skin to aid the shaving.

It will be appreciated that various changes and modifications may bemade in the device as shown in the drawing, and that the same issubmitted in an illustrative and not in a limiting sense, the scope ofthe invention being defined in the following claims.

I claim:

1. A razor including a blade having a serrated edge providing a seriesof angular teeth lying substantially in a plane and disposed alongsideof each other, the opposite edges of each of said teeth being sharpened,and holding means for the blade including a cap and a guard disposed onopposite sides thereof, said cap having projections individuallyoverlying the blade teeth and spaced inward from the cutting edgesthereof, said guard having fingers underlying the blade teeth inalinement with the points thereof and extending therebeyond, and theportion of the cap adjacent to said teeth being relatively low and flatto cause the cutting edges of said teeth to closely approach a surfaceto be shaved.

2. A razor including a flexible blade having a plurality of angularuniform teeth disposed side by side substantially in a plane and in astraight continuous series, said teeth having the oblique edges thereofsharpened for angular ciitting action, and curved means for flexing andholding the blade including a cap and a guard disposed on opposite sidesof the blade, said cap having holding projections individually overlyingsaid teeth, said projections being spaced more remotely from the cornersbetween the teeth than from the oblique cutting edges of the teeth, andsaid guard having spaced fingers underlying the teeth in alinement withthe points thereof.

3. A razor including a blade having a series of teeth extending alongopposite edges thereof, the different teeth being of uniform angularityand having the oblique edges thereof sharpened for cutting action, andholding means for the blade including a cap and a guard disposed onopposite sides of the blade, the guard having fingers underlying theblade teeth and extending therebeyond, the cap having projectionsindividually overlying the blade teeth, said projections being spacedmore remotely from the corners between the teeth than from the cuttingedges of the teeth, and the cap being relatively thin and parallel tothe blade to cause said cutting edges to closely approach a surface tobe shaved.

DMOSTHENES B; HAD-IOPOULOB.

